Don’t Crumble After Cookie Practices and Privacy Laws Change [Weekly Wrap]

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And that’s a wrap of the week ending Jan. 24, 2020

This week I’m exploring why leading change is so hard (and how to make it easier). I share my take on Google’s new cookie “monster” plan. I talk with Tim Walters about changing the surveillance culture in marketing. And I share an article about content management and technology struggles that will make you feel less alone.

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Our theme this week is (loose) change management. Let’s wrap it up.

One deep thought: Why real change is so hard (and what to do about it) (2:30)

If you search for advice on how to lead change, you often see the same suggestions: Create a plan, have a clear focus, find early adopters, get leadership buy-in, and so on. These steps aren’t wrong – they just overlook one important component that will make sure the change sticks.

The very first step in Harvard Business School professor John P. Kotter’s change management framework is to create a sense of urgency among those who will go through the change. He thought urgency was such an important step that he wrote an entire book on it.

I explore the similarity between Kotter’s “create a sense of urgency” step and the “call to adventure” in Joseph Campbell’s description of the hero’s journey. The call to adventure is something that kicks the hero out of their comfort zone, confronts them with something so urgent they can’t ignore it, and propels them to action.

A fresh take on Google’s cookie plan (10:21)

Speaking of change, Google last week announced its plan to drop Chrome support of third-party tracking cookies within the next two years. Digiday explores the implications in this article: Winners, Losers and Fallout from Google’s Plan to Drop Cookies.

Guess who they name as the first winner? Of course, it’s Google because Google isn’t going to do anything that won’t benefit Google. But Google advertisers would have access to the first-party cookie data of people who use Google services.

I share my thoughts on a fascinating development noted in the article: Some publishing groups are banding together in alliances to provide a single login for their readers and to (therefore) generate first-party data of their own.

This week’s person making a difference in content: Tim Walters (15:05)

Tim Walters is principal strategist and privacy lead at The Content Advisory (which makes him my colleague), as well as a contributing analyst for TechGDPR. In his writing, advising, and public speaking, Tim helps both enterprises and solution providers come to terms with customer experience management (CXM) – while also respecting the privacy and personal data of consumers.

Tim worked as a senior analyst and advisor at Forrester Research and as director of international marketing and strategy for FatWire Software. Earlier, he was a professor at the University of Rochester and New York University.

Here’s a snippet of our conversation about the changes to surveillance-based marketing culture brought about by GDPR and CCPA legislation:

It’s not about how I can pry into the lives of my consumers and prospects and try to understand as much about them as possible with them even knowing about it. Rather, it’s about how I can understand my consumers and prospects so I can create the right kind of value proposition for them.

Listen in to our discussion about the changes in the way we handle customer data these days, then learn more about Tim:

• Connect on Twitter @Tim_Walters
• Read his work at The Content Advisory
• Register for his webinar: Trust and Privacy: Key Challenges and Opportunities

One content marketing idea you can use (32:10)

It’s a little weird to highlight a post I wrote. But I wanted to talk about the study we did last year around content management and content technology before we release new numbers in April. In The Struggle Is Real for Content Management and Technology [New Research], I shared some interesting results. More than three-quarters (76%) of those surveyed say they take a strategic approach to content management. But only 16% of the respondents say they have the right technology and are using its full potential. It will be interesting to see what the numbers tell us this year.

The wrapup

Tune in next week for one thought that’s worth something on paper (because it makes so much cents). At the three-quarter mark, I’ll share a news item that’ll give you the most bank for your buck. And I’ll point out one fee-nominal content marketing tip that will help you create a new strategy that’s anything but counterfeit. And it’s all delivered in a little less time than it takes the Astros to bang on a trash can. (You knew they were cheating. Why? Because all the signs were there.)

If you have ideas for what you’d like to hear more of on our weekly play on words, let us know in the comments. And if you love the show, we’d sure love for you to review it or share it. Hashtag us up on Twitter: #WeeklyWrap.

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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute